Olympics: Williams Pulls Out Of Beijing Games

LONDON : Great Britain’s Rhys Williams pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday after the 400 metres hurdler suffered a stress fracture to his right foot.

Williams, who won bronze at the 2006 European Championships and silver in the 4x400m relay, sustained the problem running in Sunday’s Welsh Championships and will be out for six weeks, meaning he misses next month’s Olympic trials.

His father, former Wales rugby star and international sprinter JJ Williams, told the BBC: “Rhys is absolutely gutted. After all the injuries he’s had, he was totally fit and feeling great, so he decided to have a run out on Sunday.

“The Welsh Championships was a fairly low key event. He entered the 200m and breezed through the heat.

“Thirty minutes later, he ran in the final, and after 20m cracked something in his foot. He’s devastated.” – AFP/de